Jada Pinkett Smith Posts Touching Tupac Tribute On Death Anniversary

September the 13th marks the 22nd anniversary of the death of legendary West-coast rapper Tupac Shakur. His death occurred as a result of a violent disagreement on the night of September 7th, 1996 in the wake of a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas, Nevada. Shakur was shot numerous times in a drive-by confrontation and immediately rushed to the hospital.

Several days later, it was his mother Afeni Shakur who courageously made the harrowing decision to take her son off of life support.

Tupac is remembered by many for his legendary body of work, and there has been an outpouring of support from fans and industry members.

Actress Jada Pinket Smith took to Instagram to share an image of the late rapper — a testament not only to his prodigious life but to their friendship. The two were peers and met at as teenagers at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland.

Of their first encounter, Smith shared, “It was the first day and he came over to me and introduced himself… As soon as he approached me, he was like a magnet. Once you paid attention to him he kind of sucked you in. And we hit it off from that moment on.”

During an episode of her Red Table Talks, Smith confessed, “I’ve had a lot of loss. So many of my close friends gone. They didn’t make it to 30. They didn’t make it past 25. A lot of people talk about my relationship with Pac and figure that out. That was a huge loss in my life.”